Meet the Team

Kensington International Kindergarten champions excellence, which is why we only recruit highly qualified and experienced teachers who hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in Early Years Education or equivalent from well recognized Universities. Our team is passionate about early childhood education and is committed to providing a loving and fun environment. They will work to ensure that your child develops as an individual, whilst helping to nurture and encourage their learning through discovery and enjoyment.

Kensington International Kindergarten is committed to providing staff with opportunities for professional development and enables staff to stay up-to-date with developments in education with a comprehensive, on-going training programme.

Varaporn holds a Bachelor’s degree with First Class honors in economics (International Program) from Thammasat University, and Master’s degree in Economics from University College London, University of London. She also gained a Master Degree in Finance from the Imperial College London, University of London. She worked as an investment banker at SCB Securities Co., Ltd. Afterwards she joined the Ministry of Finance as a senior economist and subsequently appointed as head of financial institution division.

“Kensington International Kindergarten represents the fulfillment of a long held dream. My goal is to establish the highest standard of early year education in Bangkok. I believe that our priority is to put child’s development and well being as our goals. We aim to provide the best facilities, environments and teaching team so that our children at Kensington can attain their full potential.”

Mrs. Beverley PetchHead Teacher

Mrs. Petch has had a wealth of experience throughout her education career; this has varied from Head Teacher to Early Years class teacher. Mrs. Petch was appointed as the Head Teacher at a state Primary School, after completing 10 years at an Independent Preparatory School where she was the Head of Lower School. Both schools are located in the UK.

Mrs. Petch’s teaching career started over 30 years ago when she worked as a child minder and a playgroup leader. She was also the Nursery and Reception class teacher in an Independent Preparatory school in Buckinghamshire, UK. Following this her teaching career progressed from the Head of Early Years, to Head of Maths, to Head of Lower School (EYFS and KS1), and finally to Head Teacher.

Mrs. Petch holds a National Professional Qualification for Headship. She also gained teaching qualifications specializing in Early Years and Primary Education. As a teacher she is committed to child centered learning through a play based curriculum. During her career she has introduced child – led topic strategies and environment based learning based on the Reggio Emilia principles, which she creatively linked to the Foundation Stage and National Curriculum objectives. She has led a Foundation Stage unit that became a “Beacon of Excellence” in the County. Also the school, whilst under her senior management role has received two “Outstanding” Ofsted and Independent schools Association inspections.

“I am a committed and passionate Early Years specialist who sees children at the center of their learning journey. I believe a creative and balanced play based curriculum should support children’s interests and it makes sense that if a child is keen, happy and involved in what they are doing, their learning is accelerated.

I thoroughly enjoy working with the “Kensington Team”, the children and their families. I believe our staff and parents, working together, can make a real difference to the education of the young children in our care so that when they eventually move on to their next setting they are quite simply the ‘best that they can be’.

It is my vision to see Kensington International Kindergarten as the preferred choice for Early Years Education in Bangkok with a reputation for Excellence both Nationally and Internationally.”

Jessica has extensive experience in early childhood education as well as a wealth of experience in the field of Outdoor learning. She interests in Outdoor Learning through a programme that encouraged children to explore the countryside and take part in activities such as rock climbing, orienteering and kayaking. The enjoyment and pleasure the students got from being outside in a natural setting was clear and it inspired her to incorporate outdoor learning into her daily lessons.

She has designed and built gardens and play spaces for schools for a number of years now. She takes great pleasure in creating areas that encourage learning to take place outdoors and enables children to explore the natural environment, enabling them to develop their personal skills, love of nature and sense of responsibility to the environment. She also likes to work alongside children and teachers to help plan areas of the curriculum that can be taught in an outdoor setting. She has delivered training to teaching staff and understand the desire to get out and explore combined with the need to provide a quality education with purpose. Jessica is pleased to offer her expertise to Kensington International Kindergarten.

“Outdoor Learning is all about getting outside and finding new ways to explore the natural environment to aid learning. This could include furthering our understanding of nature such as insects or plants but it might be building an alphabet out of sticks and flowers. The key ingredients are being an active learner outdoors!”

Ms. Jodie Saha

Ms. Saha is a U.K. trained Early Years Teacher and has work experiences which allow her to understand and implement the EYFS fully. She was a lead teacher of a 2-3-year-olds class at an International School in Qatar before joining Kensington’s Crèche teaching team in 2017.

She has experience of working with children from birth to 6 years with English as an additional language (EAL). Jodie has a lovely gentle nature which should help our youngest children settle into school.

Ms. Amanda Botelho

Deputy Head Teacher and Lead Teacher, Toddler Class

Ms. Botelho has a Bachelor of Education with Hons degree in Geography and Society from the University of Worcester (1995). She also has a Certificate in Early Years Practice (2004). Currently, she is studying for a Master’s degree in Leadership and Management from the Open University, UK.

Ms. Botelho has 20 years’ experience of teaching in the Primary and Early Years sectors both in the UK and internationally. Before joining Kensington senior management team in 2017, she worked as an Assistant Headteacher in Coruna, Spain where she was responsible for the academic and pastoral care of all students in Early Years and Key Stage One. Her duties included leading, managing, assessing and providing professional development to all teachers. Apart from the English language, Ms. Botelho has Intermediate Level 2 Spanish. Currently, she is a Toddler class teacher and Deputy Headteacher who provides cover for the Headteacher when necessary. Her responsibilities extend to that of staff mentor, working closely with the Headteacher to ensure the continued drive for excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Mrs. Stephanie Jackson

Under Three's Coordinator and Lead Teacher, Toddler Class

Mrs. Stephanie Jackson holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Early Years Practice with Early Year Teacher Status (EYTS) from Reading University, Reading, United Kingdom.

She has worked in various Nurseries and Early Years settings as her placements and as a Senior Nursery Nurse and Deputy to the room leader in the Toddler room in the UK since 2013. During that time, she followed the EYFS framework and has an excellent understanding of Child Development. She also spent 2 years teaching English in schools in South Korea from 2010 – 2012. Mrs. Jackson joined the Kensington teaching team in 2015 as a Toddler teacher. As she accumulated experiences with Toddler education, Mrs. Jackson was promoted to become an Under 3 Coordinator, responsible as a mentor to new under 3 teachers and now runs meetings with all under 3 teaching staff.

Ms. Lorna Simmonds

Lead Teacher, Toddler Class

Ms. Lorna Simmonds studied at the University of Nottingham from 2005 – 2009 where she gained a BA (hons) degree in Archaeology In 2011 she gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Education also from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Since then Ms Simmonds has worked in schools across London and has experience of teaching the full primary age range from Nursery to Year 6 (3 to 12 years). She is currently at Qatar International School where she currently teaches in Nursery. During her time at QIS she took on extra responsibilities and is currently their EYFS curriculum Leader.

Ms. Charlotte Knight

Lead Teacher, Nursery Class

Ms. Knight holds a BA (Hons) degree in Early Years and Childhood Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. She also holds the Early Year Teacher Status (EYTS).

Ms. Knight joined us in 2017 from the UK where she taught Early Years in the north of England. She also has experience of working with older Year 1 children in Key Stage 1.

Ms. Knight is very passionate about teaching and loves working with children. During her studies, she volunteered to work as a Teaching Assistant in a reception class to extend her knowledge within Early Years. Ms. Knight also attended various training courses in many different areas to enhance and progress her teaching. At the end of the school year, she was promoted and became a higher-level teaching assistant before becoming a class teacher.

Ms. Katie Porter

Lead Teacher, Nursery Class

Ms. Porter holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education with Type 04 teaching certification from Roosevelt University and has been approved in Special Education. She has also completed her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, minoring in Studio Arts from Marquette University, U.S.A.

Ms. Porter has 8 years’ experience of teaching children across all Early Year and Primary levels in the U.S.A., from pre-kindergarten to third grade. Her teaching experiences are based mainly on learning environment through play. She has experience as a pre-kindergarten teacher involved with planning individual activities that encourage growth in all developmental domains. She has designed and administered various assessments to determine specific developmental stages and prepared reports regarding student progress and strategies to enhance child development. Apart from literacy in the EYs, Ms. Porter is a certified child yoga instructor.

Ms. Helen Oliver-Loewenthal

Over Three's Coordinator and Lead Teacher, Reception Class

Ms. Helen Oliver-Loewenthalholds a QCF Level 5 in Leadership for Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Equivalent of an Early Years Degree) from Apple Training Academy, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. She also holds an NVQ in Child Care Learning and development, UK.

Ms. Helen Oliver-Loewenthalhas been teaching in a variety of schools, and Early Years settings for over 10 years. Before joining our team at Kensington, Ms. Oliver worked in Primary Schools in London, teaching reception, nursery and toddler classes for 7 years. She has also worked as a nursery practitioner in various Early Years settings in the UK for 4 years. Ms. Oliver also has experience of teaching students with Special Educational Needs. In 2016 she joined Kensington as a Toddler class teacher then, as a result of her outstanding appraisal, Ms. Oliver was promoted to Over 3 Coordinator and became a reception class teacher in 2017.

Ms. Charlotte Wallman

Lead Teacher, Reception Class

Ms. Wallman has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from the University of Southampton in the UK. She also holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology from Southampton Solent University, UK.

Ms. Wallman has experience of teaching in the EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 during her full-time school placements in UK Primary schools. She has international experience as a Class teacher in Reception, Year 1, and was the EYFS Key Stage Leader in an International School in Thailand. She gained further international experience working as a voluntary teacher in South Africa. Ms. Wallman initially joined Kensington as our EAL specialist teacher and then moved to teaching in Reception in 2017. She works closely with the other Reception teacher who is also the Over 3s Coordinator in a team teaching unit.

Ms. Natasha Avard

SENCo and Lead Teacher, Year 1 Class

Ms. Avard has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from Canterbury Christ Church University for Primary aged children from 5 to 11 years old. She also holds a BSc (Hons) undergraduate degree in Marketing and Cultural Studies from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Ms. Avard has experience of teaching children across all Primary Key Stages, from Reception to Year 6. She has attended professional training courses for ‘Phonics’ and ‘Writing Development’ in the UK and uses this knowledge in her daily teaching. She is keen to develop a love of learning for all children by providing a safe, creative and engaging environment.

Ms. Lizzie Montgomery

SEN and EAL Teacher

Ms. Montgomery has a BA (Hons) degree in History from Kings College London University and has completed her Post Graduated Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Early Years Specialism from Kingston University. She is currently studying for the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordinator at the UCL Institute of Education, University of London.

Ms. Montomery is from the UK and has experiences in teaching in Reception class using EYFS and Year 1 class using the National Curriculum. Currently she teaches Early Years and Primary children in a specialist language unit attached to a primary school in London. Ms. Montgomery has spent the last 5 years as an SEN (Special Educational Needs) specialist teacher in a number of schools across central London. She has been part of an outstanding OFSTED inspection and has always taught in outstanding settings with a high proportion of SEN and EAL children. She has been trained in a variety of SEN strategies such as Makaton, Language for Thinking, Colourful Semantics, Lego Therapy, Helicopter stories and PECS (Picture Exchange System).

Ms. Montomery is currently working with Kensington children who has English as an Additional Language (EAL) and have been identified as needing additional support in EAL and SEN in the over 3s.

Ms. Charlotte Williams (Coach C)

PE Teacher and Swimming Coach

Ms. Charlotte Williams studied Child Psychology from 2000 – 2003 as part of her BA (Hons) degree gained from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom. She later gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International) with Merit from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Ms. Williams has a wealth of experience as an Early Years Teacher, after-school sports teacher and EAL teacher. She has been teaching for over 9 years and has worked in a number of international schools with children from two years to twelve years old. She has an excellent understanding of how young children learn and plans sessions that appeal to children’s interests, promoting active challenges and experiences. Ms. Williams has a passion for teaching sports and is an ASA qualified Swimming Teacher.

Miss Pimchanok Chotijareanpong (Kru Pim)

Thai Teacher

Kru Pim holds a Bachelor of Education Degree (First Class Honours) in Early Childhood Education (Major: Kindergarten), from Chulalongkorn University) and is currently acquiring Master degree in Early Childhood Education at Chulalongkorn University .

She has experience of working as a trained Kindergarten teacher in Waldorf Kindergarten in Bangkok. In addition, she has worked as a teacher in a Nursery, Children’s Centre, and worked as a teaching assistant at the Phonic Learning Centre. Since 2015, Kru Pim works with Kensington children in every class level. She believes that practical and play based learning can be adapted to Thai lessons.